As the General Medical Council (GMC) announces plans to double the capacity of its Manchester-based clinical assessment centre, Remedium Partners – a consultancy which specialises in the recruitment of overseas permanent doctors to ease the NHS’ reliance on agency locums ‘ has welcomed the move.
In its recent announcement, the GMC revealed plans to open an additional centre that will double its capacity to accommodate PLAB 2 assessments as demand from for doctors increases. Most doctors who qualified outside the European Economic Area must pass two GMC Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) tests, with the second taking place at the Manchester centre.
According to statistics, in 2018, 5,227 doctors took PLAB 2 at the existing testing centre, up from 2,970 in 2017 and 2,454 in 2016, with the facility now operating at capacity.
Welcoming this move, Philip Braham, Co-Founder of Remedium Partners, commented:
‘As the NHS cements its commitment to support overseas doctors in their move to the UK and encourage more professionals from inside and outside the EU to relocate, this increased capacity for PLAB 2 testing is certainly a step in the right direction. For doctors looking to make this move, facing a delay due to the over-demand on the medical assessment centre has the potential to be off-putting and is certainly a situation we want to avoid.’
David Green, Co-Founder of Remedium Partners, added:
‘Maintaining standards in the NHS is, of course, a must when it comes to welcoming new doctors, however it’s important that these individuals have a positive experience to ensure this vital talent pool remains engaged with UK Trusts. Streamlining these assessments and increasing the capacity of the GMC centre is certainly going to make this more achievable.’
